• United Nations blasts ‘outrageous’ strangulation of critical aid efforts; European Union warns decision would block ‘life-saving’ support for starving civilians

JERUSALEM: Israel threatened to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza starting on Thursday unless they submit to strict new guidelines requiring detailed surveillance of Palestinian staff, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations and the European Union .

Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, at a time when humanitarian organisations say the amount of aid getting in is inadequate to the devastated territory’s needs.

Israel’s deadline for NGOs to provide the details expires at midnight on Wednesday.

Israel, framing the crackdown as a necessary security measure, accused humanitarian groups of hiding militant ties, a move critics say would further strangle life-saving support to the enclave.

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry spokeperson Gilad Zwick, accused widely recognised and reputable organisations of involvement in terrorism, offering no evidence beyond the claim that “we just know”.

Adding more pressure on the groups, he said, “We certainly won’t accept any cooperation that is just for show, simply to get an extension”.

The ministry had said in a statement on Wednesday that the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in Gaza after October 7.

Israel specified that “acts of de-legitimising Israel” or denial of events surrounding October 7 attack would be “grounds for licence withdrawal”.

It says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories.

Israel has singled out international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), alleging that it had two employees who were members of Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision International, CARE and Oxfam, according to the list given by Zwick.

‘Guarantee access ‘

Meanwhile, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk on Wednesday described Israel’s decision as “outrageous”, calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.

“Israel’s suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous,” he said in a statement, warning that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”.

The European Union also warned that Israel’s decision would block “life-saving” assistance from reaching Palestinians.

“The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form,” EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X.

“IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need,” Lahbib wrote.

The foreign ministers of ten countries, including France and the United Kingdom, had already urged Israel to “guarantee access” to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophic”.

In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, “1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support”, the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said.

While a deal for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2026